Time for some new premieres, with That Winter, The Wind Blows heading the melodramatic pack over at SBS. I went in with high expectations, and am happy to report that this premiere exceeded most of them, with the only downfall being the seemingly old-hat-nature of the premise and some of the chaebol-centric plot movements.

However, with this writer we can pretty much look at the big picture as just the bare bones framework, because it’s in the little moments and character nuances that this team truly shines. In fact, I’d venture to say that we’ve got The Trifecta™ of writing, acting, and directing going on. Sure we’re still gaining our footing, but we’re going good places.

That Winter premiered in third place to 11.3% ratings (behind Level 7 Civil Servant and IRIS 2), but never fear, because Episode 2 aired right after this one. Great for viewing, not so great for recapping.

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EPISODE 1 RECAP

We open on a vast snowy field populated by one giant tree, as a lone figure leaves behind a plastic bag of clothing. Upon closer inspection, we also see that she’s abandoned an infant inside.

In a lavish penthouse, a scantily-clad couple lies entwined as OH SOO (Jo In-sung) smirks ruefully at a pair of dice he’s holding. In voiceover we hear him ask, almost defensively, “Can’t I just live half-heartedly like this? Does there need to be a reason for a person to live?”

The woman lying next to him, JIN SO-RA (Seo Hyo-rim) asks about his family, which sends us back in time to that snow-covered field as the mother of the infant runs away, followed by the baby’s cries. Ah, so that was him.

Soo repeats the word “family” like it’s a foreign and amusing concept, as if it’s not something tangible and real. Not for him, anyway.

Meanwhile, our heroine’s family is thrust into the media spotlight as everyone hones in on her father, the CEO of a large corporation, PL Group, since he’s been comatose for three hundred days and has obviously been unable to run the company.

His only daughter and sole heir to his fortune, OH YOUNG (Song Hye-gyo) listens to the television report from a treadmill, as the report continues to state that her fiancé has been acting as CEO during the interim.

However, in the room where her father lies hooked up to every tube and wire imaginable, said fiancé tells the company lawyer that he’s done acting as a substitute CEO, and starts talking about pushing the wedding date up… Only to be interrupted by a stone-faced Young, as she reminds those present in the room (including the company lawyer) that her father is still very much alive. She won’t entertain the thought of replacing him yet.

Her fiancé keeps quiet as she feels along the wall to guide herself to her father’s bedside. She may be blind, but she’s no less graceful for it. (And she certainly doesn’t seem to be a pushover, either.)

We find Soo playing a high-stakes game of poker, and his winning hand sparks the temper of a sore loser. He and his right-hand man PARK JIN-SUNG (Kim Bum) seem to be used to this song and dance and know that they won’t keep their winnings without a fight, which results in both of them punching and kicking their way through a group of hired thugs in order to escape.

Surprisingly, this doesn’t bother them one bit as they leave the private gambling den grinning. We hear Soo in voiceover talking about everyone’s struggle to find a reason to live, and how he thinks it’s all useless in the end.

Even so, he still looks for a reason, though he hasn’t found one yet. “Then, will something change in my life?” he asks himself. “I’ve lived my whole life thinking that I only have myself to depend on. Will there really be a moment of enlightenment?”

Back in the hotel room, So-ra worries that Soo will throw her away, and he doesn’t try to alleviate her fears as he comes to an internal decision to go all in and start trusting in something – even if it’s a lie, he’s got nothing to lose.

“You’re cruel,” So-ra tells him.

He laughs like she’s just told him a hilarious joke that he knows all too well. “I agree.”

Young climbs into a bed prepared for her by the female secretary from earlier, WANG HYE-JI. Only after Secretary Wang leaves does Young open her eyes, having feigned sleep.

So there’s another Oh Soo who happens to be friends with our hero Oh Soo (we’ll just keep calling him Soo) and best friend Jin-sung. Jin-sung is delightfully snarky as he answers Friend Soo’s claim that he’s really Young’s brother and heir to their father’s corporation with a, “If you’re the eldest son of PL Group’s president, then I’m Steve Jobs’ long-lost son!” Heh.

It’s hard to tell if this guy is sincere or crazy, since he claims that his mother ran away with him when he was eight and that he REALLY IS Young’s long-lost brother. Even though he has a letter written out to Young (using Soo’s house as the return address), he claims he promised his late mother that he’d never go to his (their?) dad for money. He wants to be able to stand on his own two feet first.

Friend Soo used Hanja characters to spell his name on the envelope, and explains to Soo that the “Soo” in his name (I know, it’s getting confusing) means “to protect,” which his mother gave him so he could “protect” his sister and the world.

He asks Soo what Hanja character he uses for his name, and Soo just shrugs that the character in his name means “tree,” because he was abandoned under one.

At his lavish penthouse, Soo is confronted about who he slept with last night by MOON HEE-SUN (Jung Eun-ji), sister to Soo’s late girlfriend. Jin-sung and Friend Soo are all there eating breakfast like a family, though their meal is interrupted when Hee-sun drops the panties she found in Soo’s bed in his soup as evidence.

…And then she pours that same soup on his head.

Secretary Wang is outside when Young receives the mail, and judging by her mad sprint to get to the mailman first, methinks she’s been hiding something.

The mailman delivers Friend Soo’s letter to Young, and in a healthy bit of exposition, he tells her that her brother has been sending these letters since last fall. Seems like Young has been unaware, which means Secretary Wang has been keeping them from her.

Young knows enough to hide the letter and steal away upstairs, while Secretary Wang looks for her in her father’s sickroom. His vitals drop drastically as soon as she leaves.

Tensions between Secretary Wang and Young are strained, since Young holds the woman responsible for her parents’ divorce, saying, “You always had Dad’s trust. He trusted you more than me.”

When she asks if Secretary Wang ever heard from her brother, the sly fox covers by claiming that her dad told her not to look for him. Young takes matters into her own hands by getting a taxi driver to take her to Friend Soo’s address using the letter, but Secretary Wang saw the letters and fearfully confirms that Young received one from Friend Soo. Uh oh.

The alarm above Dad’s room goes off to alert the household to his dropping vitals (a delayed alarm, that), and Secretary Wang, left alone in the house, decides to ignore it. Wait, so she’s purposefully leaving him to die? If I had a nickel for every time this happened in a drama, well, I’d have a lot of nickels.

While Soo sleeps, So-ra hurriedly packs her things before she sneaks something into his safe, leaving him with a tearful stroke to the cheek. Looks like he’s getting framed.

The taxi driver leaves Young outside Soo’s apartment complex (which Friend Oh Soo had listed as his address), and she steels herself before attempting to make her way with a guide cane. A brief peek through her eyes shows that she can see some colors, but they’re very dim, faint, and shapeless.

She rings Soo’s doorbell until he’s roused from his sleep, though he tries to send her home once he realizes she’s here for Friend Soo. He tries to explain that he and her brother are different people with the same name before he shoos her away so he can go back to sleep.

When Soo finally leaves three hours later, he finds that Young has been waiting the whole time on his stairwell.

Maybe he feels a little bad, because he offers to let her stay in his apartment to wait. She declines, and instead asks if he’ll read her brother’s letter to her, handing over the whole stack of mail since she doesn’t know which one it is.

Only then does Soo realize that she’s blind, and is moved to stick around when she explains that she’s on a mission to find her brother since her father is ill. It’s cute that he’s so awkward in trying to help her get to a safer spot, even though she’s pretty capable on her own.

He reads her Friend Soo’s letter, wherein he lies about owning a restaurant and being business partners with Soo. Soo keeps interrupting the letter to make observations about her, like noting how she’s not talkative even though Friend Soo remembers her to be that way.

Apparently Friend Soo is unaware that she’s blind, since she still had her vision when they separated. Soo reads her the rest of the letter, and even hands her his handkerchief when her emotions overcome her. Brother Oh Soo knows that she must have been lonely staying with their emotionally distant dad. Aw.

Police arrive outside Soo’s apartment complex accompanied by a frantic call from Jin-sung telling Soo that he’s been framed by So-ra for embezzlement. Oh, and she’s disappeared with all his money.

He clasps a hand over Young’s mouth in order to pull her out of sight from the police, but he soothes her by telling her to walk in the building and wait, because her real brother will be home soon. “Also, the last line of the letter… Your brother says he loves you.”

He leaves her with that and takes off running, followed closely by policemen. Friend Oh Soo sees him fleeing and starts chasing after him to find out what’s going on, and chases him into a street…

…Where he’s hit by a car. Yeeesh.

At the same time, Young gets a call that Dad is in critical condition.

Soo gets tackled to the ground by police only feet away from Friend Oh Soo, who’s lying still with blood running from his head. It’s not clear whether he’s dead or not, but Young stops just feet away to try and hail a taxi so she can get home to her father, completely unaware of what’s happening in front of her.

She’s only a few steps away from her real brother, and Soo takes it all in, though he’s unable, or unwilling, to call out to her.

So-ra pays Soo a visit in prison and asks him to serve a one-year sentence for the embezzlement she framed him for. Her reasoning? She’s going to be in the States for a year and couldn’t stand the thought of him screwing around. Say what? This girl is INSANE. Legitimately insane.

She might even be telling the truth, since she claims she hid the money away in a Swiss bank account Soo can access once he’s free, and they’ll live a new life together. Until then he has no hope, because the man she stole the money from is, predictably, a bad man to steal from. And it’s no small amount, either.

I’d say Soo’s reaction is pretty adequate, in that he flips a table over and tells her that they’re finished no matter what she does.

Young’s father dies, and one year passes.

Like So-ra said, Soo is released from prison. Jin-sung picks him up and regales him with tales of his quest to get revenge on the club owner Soo never embezzled from, which resulted in a dislocated shoulder, broken legs, and two missing teeth. That’s love.

Aww, so poor Friend Soo really died from that car accident, since Jin-sung takes Soo to the frozen river where he spread his ashes. He still thinks Friend Soo was lying about being a secret chaebol, and laughs about it. “Still, he was a nice guy.”

Soo clearly feels guilt for dragging Jin-sung down with him, and tries to end their friendship/partnership in order to free Jin-sung up to achieve his dream of buying a dairy farm for his dad. Jin-sung all but balks at this – he didn’t wait a year for his beloved hyung to dump him.

He eventually wears Soo down, and teases him about being unable to follow through on his threat to end their friendship: “Why? Because you love me.” D’aww. You can tell it’s true. He’s ready to take on the world with his hyung and reclaim his/their fortune.

They’re blocked at the first opportunity, since the club owner has already bought over or threatened anyone they could actually borrow money from. Jin-sung is too hot-headed to take this lying down and gets into another fight on Soo’s behalf.

A sinister figure coolly confronts Soo on behalf of the club owner he supposedly embezzled from – he owes seventy-eight billion won (about seven million dollars) and has one hundred days to come up with it. This is JO MOO-CHUL (Kim Tae-woo), and he makes no bones about what will happen to Soo should he fail to come up with the hefty sum.

He leaves, but when Soo turns around, Moo-chul stabs him in the gut. Don’t judge me, I might have let out a little scream. (It all happened so fast!)

Moo-chul is totally stone-faced as he tells Soo that this was just a warning stab, and that he’ll really kill him next time. That’s a hell of a way to get your message across.

Secretary Wang helps Young to the stage in order to make a presentation on behalf of the company, and she performs flawlessly. Lawyer Jang fawns over her in the elevator while her fiancé merely looks bored, though she claims that all the positive attention she received was only a one-time deal since her three-month term as interim CEO will soon be over.

She looks at the bright side – she normally only goes from her house to the charity center, so coming to the company was a fun foray. It seems like she knows she’ll only stay temporary because of her disability, though she’s made peace with it.

However, Lawyer Jang has a surprise in store with regard to Soo’s father’s will, which he promises to reveal soon. Secretary Wang doesn’t seem like she was let in on the secret either, and as she drives away with Young, Lawyer Jang gets a call.

“You found him?” he asks the receiver. Sounds like he’s looking for her brother.

In the car, Secretary Wang asks Young when she’ll marry her fiancé, since they’ve been engaged for a year now, only to have Young reply that she won’t be marrying him at all. The engagement was Dad’s idea, and though she might have liked him, she asks Secretary Wang if she expects her to marry just because she “likes” Myung-ho. (She seems to be insinuating that love, not just tolerance, is needed for a marriage. What a novel idea!)

She even thinks Secretary Wang is pushing her to marry him because she thinks Young can’t be picky due to her blindness. “Let’s just say it’s an inferiority complex I have because I’m handicapped,” Young tells her.

Soo escapes from the hospital and Jin-sung’s watchful eye to violently confront one of the friends who’s betrayed him, one he fed, clothed, housed, and gave a new life to.

The man is a sniveling weasel and calls for backup to take Soo down while lying to his face that he’d totally never do that to the hyung who saved his life, but he’s just buying time for backup to arrive.

When it does, Soo faces off against a hallway filled with thugs. It’s a dirty, brutal fistfight that ends with Soo taking a hard blow to the head. Up until then, though, he was holding his own pretty well.

The blow, and the subsequent kicks and punches, send Soo to the floor. He struggles to get back up, his muscles uncoordinated and twitchy from the head wound, only to be faced with Moo-chul. Eek. (*hides*)

He smiles as he reminds Soo that he has ninety-seven days to pay up.

After being dumped out on a busy street, Soo has to all but crawl to Friend Soo’s rooftop, which is the only place left for him to stay now that the club owner has taken everything. This is where Lawyer Jang finds him, but all Soo does is answer his questions truthfully, by saying that yes, this is Oh Soo’s rooftop, and yes, he’s Oh Soo.

Of course, he doesn’t know that Lawyer Jang is looking for the deceased Friend Soo until he sees his business card and remembers everything about Friend Soo being the long-lost son of PL Group. And that he told him and Jin-sung could go to his father if things ever got tough to get help, being friends of the group heir and all.

Lawyer Jang thinks he’s really found THE Oh Soo and declares, “I’m Lawyer Jang ajusshi,” expecting a bigger response than the blank stare he gets. He was a close friend of the father, and reminds Soo that they used to go fishing together.

“Do you really not remember me?” Lawyer Jang asks.

Soo looks at the business card like he’s just been handed the keys to the universe, as everything starts falling into place to create the perfect plan: The true Oh Soo is dead, he desperately needs the money, and he’s just been given a golden opportunity to get it.

So it’s with tears in his eyes that Soo looks up and stutters, “No… I remember. You’ve grown very old, ajusshi.”

COMMENTS

I have to say I’m pretty pleased with this turn of events, if only because every scrap of promotional material told us that Oh Soo would be a conman and a trickster out to mercilessly steal a blind girl’s fortune. We know that’s going to happen, but I like that we’ve been given enough information to understand his desperation, so that we know that he’s not just conning a girl to be cruel. After all, the gauntlet has been thrown and the stakes are high, with Soo knowing better than anyone how real that ninety-seven day deadline is.

Admittedly, the grander plot movements seem pretty familiar, and I’ve never met a chaebol storyline which I’ve found to be particularly fresh or interesting. It was a big “ho hum” moment when Secretary Wang left Young’s father to die, because we’ve quite literally seen this kind of dynamic featured fairly recently in the last high-profile melodrama with chaebols: Nice Guy. It’s just common at this point for gold diggers to calmly stand aside when someone rich is dying, so up until that point in the episode it wasn’t the plot that was pulling me in as much as the characters.

It’s no secret (and if it was, not anymore) that I absolutely loved Padam Padam, the last group effort by this writer/director duo, and find PD Kim Kyu-tae a fantastic cinematographer capable of creating simultaneously beautiful shots with a sense of realism and a healthy penchant for physicality. The camera moves in such a way that keeps the shots dynamic, whether we’re close enough to an actor’s face for them to crack the lens with their forehead or just barely out of reach when there’s action on screen.

Jung Woo-sung used his height and physique to great effect in Padam, and I’m seeing the same kind of attributes in Jo In-sung’s performance. I’m not too familiar with him as an actor (though I’ve heard he has quite the (in)famous crying scene), but I find him completely mesmerizing in this role, constantly brimming with intensity and – dare I say it? – sincerity. That statement is going to turn around and bite me later on since we know he’s going to orchestrate a huge scam, but I think it’s important that we got to see the why behind it all. And that, when faced with the need to flee from the police, our hero would still complete his obligation to finish reading a letter to a blind girl.

This is also Song Hye-gyo’s anticipated small screen comeback since 2008’s The World That They Live In, and she’s in fine form in a role that seems tailor-made for her. I have nothing but good things to say about the cast as a whole, really, and even though Kim Bum played the same fiercely loyal Best Friend Role in last year’s Padam, he plays the type well. He’s just a wee bit more violent this round.

All this boils down to the fact that I like the show and want to see more of it. I just wish SBS had thought to throw in a time machine with their three-episode bundle this week.

For me, i tend to have more patience, so that could be a factor.
Even if scenes tend to be a bit slower, if it has exceptional cinematography I’d let certain flaws slip.
The plot is not the captivating factor to me. It has your typical glaring makjang elements. However, I can tell already that this show will probably prosper in the little moments these characters have with one another.
If you really pay attention to the dialogue, you can tell it’s in the hands of a really experienced and well-seasoned writer.
For someone who isn’t all that thrilled about melos, this one keeps me watchin, but it’s only the first few episodes so who knows where it’ll go from here.

Yeah I also felt the same, there wasn´t any dragging and the drama just made me so dazed and draw me in that I just watched without realizing time went by. That´s how well thought the first few episodes was.

Am wondering if i should see this. I’ve already seen the movie from back in the day and I keep wondering what extending the plot/premise into xx episodes is gonna do for me. Might not commit to this but i might watch it. It’s rare that I watch a film that’s been turned into a drama.

I don’t know why I watched the movie last night before seeing this drama. I didn’t know until my friend told me that the synopsis is similar to a Korean movie that she watched only to realized that it was. Maybe because I know that it will be a cry fest and knowing the whole story might lessen the angst and heartaches. haha!

anyway, I like how the drama put like say 40% of the movie on its first 3 episodes.. stabbing check, jail check, I want to be hit by a train but oppa pulled me, check, DNA test check, crazy mobster stalking them check, itemizing those looks like more than 40% already..

I saw the movie a while ago as well. There’s already a lot more flesh provided by the drama. Which is good — it’s short-story versus novel (or at least, novella) with the two mediums.

But we get a lot more background on the whys of Oh Soo (as Heads’ recap points out), a lot more on brother-Soo, and the relationship between the two leads is made deeper.

For example: I, for one, love that they met before he began pretending to be her brother. And that, brief though that encounter was, they made an emotional connection. It undercuts the faux-cest quite nicely.

I hope the ending gets shifted around a little… but even if it doesn’t, so far the story is being spun out quite nicely.

I usually stay away from dramas like this but I couldn’t help checking it out cus of the cast!! & I’m so glad I did! Jo In-sung is soooo good!! He’s been away for too long lol. I’ve always liked Song Kye-gyo since All In and I really do like how she’s portraying Oh Young so far. Kim Bum is my love so no need for explanation, though he’s a bit too violent in here… lol. Loooved Jung Eun-ji since Answer Me, 1997!! Can’t wait for more~

I honestly really really loved this so far. I thought the filming was like PADAM PADAM (I feel like the director is the same guy…I’m too lazy to check). I thought I would hate Song Hye Kyo because I never ever liked her in anyyyyyyything. But seriously, I love this drama right now. The colors, the story, the writing, the acting, and Jo In Sung’s costumes, even. I lovee it.
I hope it continues to delight.

Also about the:
“Woo-sung used his height and physique to great effect in Padam, and I’m seeing the same kind of attributes in Jo In-sung’s performance.”
I had the same exact thoughts. I also had the same exact thoughts regarding Kim Bum but I guess this new character is less innocent-bumbly. Rargh. All in all, I’m really satisfied with most of the dramas out this new season.
Also, fun fact, I was mesmerized by Song Hye Kyo’s lip color and searched it up on Naver. Apparently it was a hot topic in Korea. Those Korean women. We’re on the same wavelength I tell ya. I did the same thing in Kim Nam Joo’s drama and found that thousands of Korean women were wondering the same thing. lol

eeek, last comment: I also love how un-mak-jang-y this drama feels. It reads like a makjang, but it doesn’t present itself with too much overly acted scenes. I like how the director knows when to have quiet calm moments, even in angry moments. It feels more HUMAN.

This is what I call a good melodrama. Looks like that team PD/writer has the formula: The human psychological laws are respected and you can always understand why one person does what she does, even if you don’t agree with her. Also, things sad and shocking happen but people don’t spend their time crying. People keep functionning.

I agree. I am not a fan of melo but it was hard to turn away from the main cast and the Padam and Worlds Within connection as they are both two of my favorites. I never planned to watch either of them either but got pulled in by the cast and can I say I was I glad I did.

I’ve watched the first three episodes, and wow, what a stellar beginning. The pacing, cinematography, actors, just fab. The only complaint for me so far is the over mugging of JIS at the train scene. But that was redeemed very soon with the great line when he tells her he’s never riding the subway with her again lol. It’s hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel, pun intended, but it’s going to be a hell of a ride.

@Mar: Yeah. The train scene… For now it’s the only moment which annoyed me (green screen + overacting). If that’s the only flaw of the drama in the end, I can deal with that.

6.1.1.2 ilikemangosFebruary 14th, 2013 at 3:43 PM

Agree.
All the makjang elements are there. fauxcest love, chaebol, blind heiress..
And yet, i found it alot more nuanced than i came in expecting..
Pehaps this is because it’s my first noh hee kyung film, but i’m definitely diggin’ the writer&director duo. They really know how to bring out great scenes and capture the beauty and sadness without making it too overwrought for us.

As many of you had already stated above; the writing, directing, actors, movements, color, everything in this drama is darn beautiful that I feel like they’re not living on Earth!

Am I the only one enjoying the close-ups; I realllllllly dig the close-ups of the characters; it is like you feel every twitch, smile, and movement that they exude. I don’t find it ‘overacting’ like some others have mention … especially with Jo In-Sung …. oh how I missed you dearly.

Close-ups are a double-edged swords: It can be extremely boring or irritating if the actor is bad. But if he knows what he is doing (like here), it’s fascinating to watch. It’s literally like an open book than you have to decipher.

Thanks Heads! I’m really loving this too. After watching nothing but rom coms for the last 3 years, it’s suddenly the slew of melos that have caught my attention. The show’s so beautiful, it’s enticing me to pick up the paintbrush again to depict some if the scenes.

OMG, thanks for this recap! I’ve been refreshing nonstop, ha. I haven’t been so excited about a drama for a long time, especially because of Jo In-sung (!!!). I’m really loving this drama and everyone in this.

Wow. The tone is definitely a lot lighter than I expected coming in; I blame the teasers. I guess we should expect the greatest writer in Korea (says Anthony) to be able to create a actual good melo. And the dialogue’s a plus.
SO, for someone who isn’t all that into melos, episode 1 made me want to watch the next episode, and that’s all that matters.

I’ve seen the Korean movie version of this drama (Love Me Not) and all three episodes that have been aired so far; the drama is certainly following well with the movie version and has managed to capture half of what happened in the movie. I certainly thought things were going to be slow and very dragged out but I’m glad the premise was set up quickly and the pace is excellent. But since the drama did not drag, I’m anticipating what the writers may layer the original story with.

Aside from that, when this episode started, the visualization was beautiful and really made me feel as if winter was really here. Interestingly, today it was a warm, bright sunny day but this drama made me feel a little chilly in the bones just from the scenery.

All the characters are also very interesting. Normally, in several dramas I tend to fast-forward some of the secondary characters’ scenes but here I was invested.
My heart also jumped when Oh Soo was stabbed. That character was also scary in the movie (albeit creepier). Oh Soo’s little firend/partner-in-crime is so cute with his admiration and loyalty towards his hyung. I hope he gets to fulfill his dreams…the right way; no scamming.

All in all, the premiere was very enjoyable and I look forward to future recaps. They are wonderful to read, HeadsNo2.

P.S. The actor playing Oh Soo is quite good-looking. His eyes are as chilling as the winter scene.

Yeah, I watched Love Me Not as a preparation for this and it’s really pleasantly surprising how fast the drama is moving. Like you I expected it to be dragged and the original’s plot to be stretched thin for 16 hrs; I hope it keeps its pace, but I don’t know how they’re going to manage to do that if they keep close to the movie. I mean the first half is already covered in the first 3 episodes. I’m guessing they might have their own subplots to keep us busy, I hope so at least. I really, really don’t want to watch the second half of the movie. being dragged for the next 13 episodes.

Oh, that ending. >.< I had successfully blocked it out of my mind, let's hope they don't go the same route. But since I've heard a lot of praise for Noh Hee Kyeong (though unfortunately never checked any of her dramas), and the fact she has written the first three episodes so well makes very optimistic about the drama's future.

oh, the movie is an adaptation too from the original japanese drama and have different ending. I would say that this drama so far follows the jdrama pattern. It is intriguing how the writernim make it different from the past drama.

Wow, I was thinking about Moon Geun-young playing a blind girl in Love Me Not while watching the first episode, but I didn’t even realize the drama was based on that. I haven’t seen it since it came out so I didn’t remember the plot of the movie. Apparently I’m seeing that I have it on DVD, so I’ll have to re-watch it haha.

Anyway, great start to the drama. I’ve loved Jo In-sung since he played Super Intense Psychotic Jealous Lover in What Happened in Bali, so I’m looking forward to this.

Jo In-Sung carried What Happened In Bali, in my opinion; the other two were OK, SJS his usual moody self but Jo In-Sung just rocked it. I love how layered his performances are; you get the braggadocio and forward momentum layered over fear and cowardice layered over what amounts to existential despair. He’s like Holden Caulfield, actor version.

-Aside from the beautiful cinematography, I’m really digging the ost. This show is just too purty.
– Jo In sung and kim bum’s bromance has already won me over.
-Is anyone relieved for a company lawyer that is actually nice/adorable and not secretly plotting a betrayal? I am.

No way, that’s lord choi? yeah, couldn’t recognize him. I think the writers have done a really good job with the supporting cast here. I also feel like there may be a darker side to the lawyer, and conversely, maybe there’s a redeeming side to secretary wang. I love how the characters are more complex than meets the eye.

So good. This show has a strange melancholy feel to it that I find intriguing and I’m looking forward to more. The show is sadder than I expected, but I’ll stick with it. The bright spot in this show for me is definitely Kim Bum. I absolutely love his character already, and love his red hair.

I agree with you 100%. I just can’t hate Jo In-sung’s character, especially not after that ending scene. He totally looked tormented as he realized he had a way to get back all that he’d lost, even if it meant pretending to be his dead friend. So sad. This writer and director team hit all the right notes to tug at the heart. I can’t hate Oh Soo even knowing that he’s going to live a lie for a long while. I just feel bad for him and for Young.

This drama just LOOKS beautiful. It’s so pretty and melancholy. It’s not in your face pain, but more of a sense of sadness just below the surface of every scene. Jo In Sung is killing his role here. Those tiny moments of real emotion flickering on his face and in his eyes keep the viewer from despising this guy who is conning a blind girl. And yet how pitiful is she. She lives in a world of darkness with not one person she can actually trust or count on. And new Oppa really isn’tgoing to be any different.

I think I’m going to stay with this one. I really love the tone of it. And even if the over-arching story is a bit usual, I’m loving the characters in the small moments.

“its not in your face pain”
“tiny moments of real emotion flickering on his face”
Truly, this is my first show watching Jo In Sung (i know, im missing out), and THIS is what good acting is.(There’s a scene in ep.2 where he truly shines) i hope saying this doesn’t come back to bite me in the butt.

But yes, aside from the over-the-top elements present in this melo, i am finding it beautiful to watch these characters in the little moments.

I wonder if it’s like the difference between gothic and soap-opera? Both deal with twisty families and cruelties that seem to beggar belief. But the first kind of owns it — like it uses the darkness to explore humanity. While the second just pulls it out for shock value without any attempt at understanding or thoughtfulness. (If that makes any sense at all.)

17 toritorisanFebruary 14th, 2013 at 3:51 PM

Yay! So happy this drama is being recapped. I am totally sold on this drama. The cast is awesome – especially Jo In Sung, he’s been away from drama land too long. I watched the Japanese version (which so far the Kdrama version has followed pretty closely), but I loved how Jo In Sung made the character his own and a bit different then how it was portrayed in the Jdrama version. I totally forgot how great an actor he is.

Everything else is so much better as well – the music, location, directing, etc… Really looking forward to the rest of the series.

meh, this reminds of a movie called Love Me Not, it was like the exact same story. I didn’t really like that one, and I’m not really looking forward to this one either.
I don’t really like the whole “Imma pretend to be your brother” story line thing tbh

Eughh… I don’t like the directing, it didn’t delivered the writers want to tell fully… Poor Noh Hee Kyung! I find the writing is helping this drama more rather than the cynematography or directing.
That’s one of my problem with padam2, shots unnecesary scene which have no purpose, the close up scene is too close and too often, the editing is abit awkward, though still deliver.

But for readers who decide to just read recaps and skip the drama watching, I highly recommend you to not do that. This drama is only best experienced when watched first hand to see how the actors portray the characters and play it out.

For me the most rich thing about this drama is the cast and their acting. Not to mention how beautiful everything is filmed and shot. Also the writing is so unique and I think the story is pretty fast faced actually.

JIS’s overacting just kills me to be honest, i cringe every other 2 seconds he’s on screen. KKB on the other hand, and this is on a purely shallow basis, is mad gorgeous…and his acting chops not bad, not bad at all! Watched all 3 eps and will continue to watch but am just not so crazy about it…

The overacting, or as I like to call it, the extra effort acting is all part of the experience. It goes with the extra make-up and extra ugly wardrobe they put him in.
Seriously, I think they have contests in the wardrobe department of how to make him look the silliest.

I thought I was the only one who didn’t like his wardrobe too well either. Especially that long coat he puts on or long sweater.

As for overacting, I thought it was slightly overacting when he was shaking uncontrollably after being stabbed but then after that, he was acting fine. Actually, it was weird but I kept being reminded of the character Kimura Kenji (from Gaksital) when Oh Soo was in overalls, hair parted and slicked in this episode.

Jo In-Sung is not everyone’s cup of tea – he’s more of an old-fashioned actor, really. Most actors and actresses take a much more naturalistic approach – although sometimes that morphs into really not acting at all – but Jo In-Sung takes things full-out. He reminds me of the sort of acting from American films in the 30s, like a Humphrey Bogart or Jimmy Cagney gangster flick.

I don’t find JIS overact in the first three episodes. Some scenes may feel too exaggerated at first (e.g. the opening scene in episode 3), but after some thoughts, I think that how one would react if he/she just barely rescued someone from a life-threatening accident.

I agree. I don’t see the overacting. The stab was meant to hurt. Hurt enough to send a man who’d previously stated he was fine with dying into a desperate bid to live. Ditto the beatdown. I actually really liked the hand shaking. It was grotesque, but it needed to be grotesque. Again, a bad enough hit to leave him staring death in the face.

Ooh! As was the train scene! I just made that connection! He’d thought about killing her. You could see that in the pause after he’d gotten the text. But then he was confronted by the reality of it and that scared the bajesus out of him. (As well it should if he’s a decent guy.)

Nice tastes there. Scrolling back again through the screencaps above and thinking about a Bogart, that seems like an apt comparison. Moving on to episode two now, looks like I’ll have to pay even more attention to his performance.

I don’t see him overacting in this drama, I would say I’m impressed because i am worried he might not pull it off like what Atsuro did in the original. His emotions here is rather controlled than the previous dramas I saw him in.

Sorry if I keep on comparing this in the original jdrama because I waited for WTWB just coz i love the original version. So far it exceeded my expectations and I am liking it better than the original.

Did anyone already mention that the mansion is Tak-ik’s home in Full House 2?

Harsh windy winter conditions. So let me get this straight: Oh Soo and Oh Soo are roomies. While Oh Soo is in jail, Oh Soo dies. Oh Soo’s lawyer is looking for Oh Soo. He finds Oh Soo, who pretends to be Oh Soo. On to episode 2…

I had to pay close attention to the name game, but not as close as I have to in Sirius where identical twin brothers mix roles and who’s who is even harder to keep track of! I like the fast pace and welcome both dramas to my weekly watch. And believe me, there IS plenty to watch with so many good lookin’ heroes- yes!

I also think that! about the mansion, but I also noticed its a bit different because I didn’t see the fence that FH2 had, maybe it because its winter and its really the same, just the inside shoots are recorded in other place.

Honestly, I didn’t watch te preview because somewhere I read that it was too dramatic and overacted (so I was thinking it would be like Missing You, so I avoided it). And then I couldn’t help noticing that Kibum (I loved him in Padam Padam) and Eunji (Reply 1997) were going to be in this, and I became curios and say to myself “Well, I will watch the first episode…” Nope, I’m sold to this drama. I mean, In Sung is so handsome, SHK is acting really well and my biases EunJi-Kibum as a couple is awesome for me.

The story is going so well for me that I feel I have the drama I needed since Nice Guy, the tension, te strong characters that doesn’t need to cry every 10 minutes. I like it. I’m all on this now.

I have to say I’m impressed against my better judgement of how this show would be…I know JIS would rock the roll but I always find him too attractive to be real, but I agree that he’s awesome and so layered in his intensity here that sometimes i feel like applauding. The story is a melo but I’m just happy it’s not a cryfest like ‘i miss you’. The shots are wonderful and the actors are carrying the drama and theme very well….I will be one of those dedicated viewers for this one! Thank you soooo much for recapping!

Yep! Also glad you are recapping, heads.
It is going to be a wild ride, I tell you.
I am getting my squicky out for when he starts falling in love with her (OK) and she lets him (NOT OK) unless she learns who he really is before that hits (OK) or maybe she already knows. Who knows?

Thanks for the recap! I had checked this drama out because I was curious about Jo In Sung. He’s super famous, but yet I’ve never seen anything he has been in. I went in with low expectations and ended up being absorbed into these characters’ lives and in how beautiful some of the shots are. It’s funny how you mentioned Nice Guy, because that’s the feel I get from this drama. It’s like a gritty version of it. My only complaint is that Jo In Sung, whom I find only slightly good-looking, exudes so much sex appeal that it’s weird to see him play the brother. It’s like there is no way Oh Young cannot sense his sexy, nonbrotherly pheromones!!

lol, no kidding about JIS. I literally hit the pause button every few seconds to swoon over him

I really love him in this role. There’s a scene in Episode 1 where he’s talking to his lover, and it is so beautifully executed. First there is his reflection in the glass window, which is much clearer than his actual self. Then, the camera zooms in for closeups of his face as we hear his voice over. The way he shifts his eyes left and right slightly, then lets out a little incredulous laughter, agreeing with her that he’s indeed a cruel man. Then the camera zooms out, we see a mirror reflection of him again; this time gradually raising drinking glass held in his hand as he stares at the window overlooking the City of Seoul. Something about that scene and his performance leave a deep impression on me. I’m sold

I still don’t know if I’m all in, but I had to check out at least the first episode because of the impeccable casting.

Oh my gosh–Jo In Sung–Jo In Sung– Jo In Sung . . . sorry, it’s just that he almost leaves me speechless. So handsome. So twisted and dark and tortured and broody but still light somehow . . . don’t know how he did it but excellent job. I almost get sad when his scenes end and we go to another shot because as much as I eventually enjoy the other actors and scenes, I find myself totally yearning to see his smile once more. UGH–could he possibly replace my first, and so far only, love Rain in my heart? Could I love them both since there is no realistic possibility of me actually ending up with either one? But I digress . . . sorry again.

Song Hye Kyo– love her! She was good here but the story leaves a lot more to be determined before I can commit to loving her character. So far so good though.

Kim Bum– way too cute here. He somehow looks younger and smaller of stature here. I have no idea why, but when I think of him in The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry, for example, and in here, there seems to be a big difference. Either way, nice eye candy. PHAT is my final assessment.

Jung Eun Ji–still awesome. I saw some sparks of Answer me 1997’s ShiWon and I like it. Give me more!

Oh, I forgot to mention what I actually liked best about the show. I never really get when javabeans or girlfriday go on and on about cinematography and gorgeous shots . . . but I love love love the way this drama is shot. The opening scene was beautiful and there were just shot after shot of gorgeous scenery and color.

Surprisingly I love it.I shunned melos afte Nice Guy.
I just wish it wont be another ugly sad ending for Oh Soo and Oh Young.
I was crazy about Jo In Sung in Memories of Bali, but that drama’s ending was just cruel.

Thank you so much for recapping this drama. It has been so long since I last watched such a good drama like this. The script is very well-written. The acting is impressive. And the images are beautiful. JIS and SHK both are doing great job. Look forward to your recap on the 2nd and 3rd episodes.

Yeah, it’s almost the same but the original is a japanese drama. Love me Not is just an adaptation. The difference between the two is that the japanese drama has a happy ending while the korean movie’s ending is a little bit sad.

One thing that is a bit unclear to me – how much does Oh Soo owe President Kim and Moo Chul? Your recap and the subs say 78 million won (~72,000 USD), but that amount seems a bit small for this whole fake bro ordeal, no?

Also, when you said 97 days left, I’m pretty sure the Hulu (Drama Fever) subtitles said 93 days left. No idea who’s right with my kindergarten level Korean skillz, but that did stand out to me

38 DeeDee315February 14th, 2013 at 8:47 PM

I agree with you all. 3 episodes in and it’s the best melo since Padam. All the things that were great in Padam can be found in this drama too: actors, directing, costumes and camera work. Kim Bum is playing basically the same character (shorter hair). Love the addition of a female sidekick, Eun Ji. We’ll see how Wind progresses, but feeling that while the script is very well written, the plot is old school. Hope as the story progresses there will be some interesting twist.

I was not planning on watching this at all since melos are not
My style. But after reading your recap Heads, I’m in. Thanks to you, I saw and loved King of Dramas and History of a Salaryman. Your smart, funny and thoughtful recaps are always a pleasure to read.

Can’t wait for you to see Jo In Sung’s infamous crying scenes Heads & anyone else unfamiliar with him. They literally make you extremely uncomfortable, like you’re watching some stranger sob in the street and you don’t know what to do. When watching What Happened in Bali, he would cry and I would break out into nervous laughter because of the tension. O_O

Ok, seems like everyone liked this drama. Indeed, episode 1/2 wasn’t bad. Actually I never liked Jo In-sung so much, but he fit well in this role…but there are two things I didn’t like.

– Too much close ups! I know they are pretty, but please don’t emphasize too much….it’s disturbing to follow the storyline.
– I know Song Hye-Kyo is a good actress, but I can’t see her as a blind person. She walk/react too quick…and she use running machine too well!

The funny thing is I thought she was a little too unsure. Especially in her own house and room. But I figured that was the usual, “must overplay the blindness for the sake of the viewers” thing that tv will do.

After watching many kdramas, for me this is one of the best movie to drama adaptation. When I watch Love Me Not before I really don’t understand the whole story because the pacing is so fast,unlike this, they layered it more. Although I’m not fully convinced of Song Hye Kyo’s acting as blind Jo In Sung filled it.

My roots are incrusted with melo so this is truly for me! Loved it! I too squealed when he got stab! And talk about a crazy lover?! Okay, I’ve seen it all but this takes the cake! Wicked good! Filming and cinematography is out of this world! I’m having my Padam Padam feelings again! I needed that this morning!!

I have read and enjoyed the recap of this drama elsewhere but I am still happy to see it being recapped on dramabeans by HeadsNo2. So far I have watched all three episodes. What makes this drama great, in my opinion, is not the script frame, but the dialogue, the details and the acting of Song Hye Kyo and Jo In Sung, in particular.

And may be I’m in the minority, but I do think the music of the drama is very good.

So far, so good.
In the beginning I thought that the premise was too melo for my taste. From the descriptions that I read, I had an impression it would be your standard bucketfulls-of-tears inducing drama about a sweet girl and a cold jerk. Uff… it is not that case (yet). The characters are clearly humans with more than one trait each, undertaking actions that seem plausible.
As for now I stay with this drama. I do not have the feeling that the producers wanted me to stay just because of compassion for the poor heroine, but I get much much more.

What I welcome is also the fact that one can see the Padam Padam team working behind the cameras. Now I got reminded that I really enjoyed that drama.

I’m all in. After I saw Kim Tae Woo, it was a done deal. I will watch ANYTHING with him in it. His mouth mesmerizes me, I keep rewinding to figure out what the scene was about because I was in a daze watching his mouth. Gahhh, I’m a goner.

Thank you for the recaps. Wasn’t planning on watching this because i have seen the movie. But everyone’s right — the cinematography is spectacular. JIS is awesome. I forgot the details but is there a relationship that will be uncovered between Secretary Wang and JIS?